Robert Whittaker is not ready to write off fellow former UFC middleweight champion Israel Adesanya just yet.
Adesanya (24-4 MMA, 13-4 UFC) will look to snap a two-fight losing skid when he takes on Nassourdine Imavov (15-4 MMA, 7-2 UFC) on Feb. 1 in the UFC Fight Night 250 headliner at ANB Arena in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
Adesanya’s two losses came in title fights against Sean Strickland and most recently current UFC middleweight champ Dricus Du Plessis. Whittaker (27-8 MMA, 17-6 UFC) rates Imavov’s skills highly but isn’t sure he has the style to beat Adesanya.
“I’d have to lean into Izzy being the the favorite,” Whittaker said on his MMArcade Podcast. “Like he’s so good at what he does, but Imavov’s a bit of a dog. He can go the distance. His striking is good. I can see him pushing the pace, pushing the pressure to try to make Adesanya make errors much like how Dricus (Du Plessis) fought him. I can’t say better standup because Dricus’ standup is just a different type of standup, a different approach.
“Is Imavov as tanky as Dricus? Because I think Dricus made like a really good blueprint on how to beat Adesanya, make him uncomfortable and go at him. Make him stress, don’t give him space to play. I think Imavov’s got the skillset to do that, but I’d still lean on Izzy being the favorite. He can fight that counter style so well and if you don’t fall into his baits, into his traps, he’ll pick you apart.”
According to DraftKings, Adesanya is a moderate -185 favorite over Imavov, who’s a +154 underdog. Whittaker agrees with the betting odds.
“Izzy looked so good against Dricus until he didn’t,” Whittaker said. “I don’t know, I think that Izzy beats Imavov.”
For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC Saudi Arabia.
